Papers from a 1977 meeting on the early college in theory and practice are presented. The purpose of the meeting or consultation was (1) to assess the first 11 years of Simon's Rock Early College, the only college in America specifically designed for students in the 16- to 20-year-old age group and (2) to raise questions about the relationship of the early college concept to the growing number of institutions that have early admission options for younger students. Papers are as follows: the keynote address by Elizabeth B. Hall; "Excellence and Equality: An Issue in Policy and Concept," by Edward Joseph Shoben, Jr.; "Emotional Development and Identity Formation in Adolescence," by Joseph Katz; "Adolescence and the Social System," by Edward A. Wynne; "The Early College: Educational Strategies for Growth into Freedom," by Frederick P. Ferre; "Breaking the Educational Lockstep: The Simon's Rock Experience," by Nancy R. Goldberger; and "Who Should Enter College Early?" by Samuel H. Magill. (SW)